New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the limousine involved in a devastating Schoharie, New York, accident that killed two pedestrians and its 18 occupants failed an inspection last month. Cuomo, talking to reporters at New York's Columbus Day parade, also said the driver did not have the proper license to operate the vehicle.The vehicle, he said, failed a state inspection last month and was not supposed to be on the road.Cuomo identified the limousine company as Prestige Limo. So far, Times Union efforts to reach the owner have not been successful.The stretch limo, packed with 18 people, drove through a stop sign at an intersection and fatally struck two people in the parking lot of the Apple Barrel Country Store, before slamming into an earthen embankment and killing all of the oversized vehicle's occupants.Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, told reporters Sunday that the Schoharie crash was the nation's worst transportation accident since the Feb. 12, 2009, crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 in Buffalo, which claimed the lives of 50 people."Twenty fatalities is just horrific," Sumwalt said of Saturday's deadly crash. "I've been on the board for 12 years, and this is one of the biggest losses of life that we've seen in a long, long time."The crash appeared to be the deadliest land-vehicle accident in the U.S. since a bus ferrying nursing home patients away from Hurricane Rita caught fire in Texas in 2005, killing 23.Autopsies were being performed; authorities didn’t say whether the limo occupants were wearing seat belts or give the speed of the limo.Relatives said the limousine was carrying four sisters and their friends to a 30th birthday celebration for the youngest.“They did the responsible thing getting a limo so they wouldn’t have to drive anywhere,” their aunt, Barbara Douglas, said Sunday. She did not want to name them publicly but added: “They were wonderful girls. They’d do anything for you and they were very close to each other and they loved their family.”Valerie Abeling, the aunt of victim Erin Vertucci, said her 34-year-old niece and her niece’s new husband, 30-year-old Shane McGowan, were victims.“She was a beautiful, sweet soul; he was, too, they were very sweet,” Abeling said. “They were two very young, beautiful people” who “had everything going for them.”The Apple Barrel’s Facebook page on Sunday reflected the concern around the accident in the tight-knit community.“Yes, are open today. And could use your hugs,” it read. “We are doing our best to cope and grieve. We are a big family at the Apple Barrel, and part of the bigger family of Schoharie. We cope by being together. And that is why we are open.”There were just 12 crashes involving large limos in the five years for which the agency has released statistics, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.Twelve people were killed in limo crashes in that span, 2012 through 2016. Over the same period, 171,508 people were killed in 157,451 crashes involving all types of vehicles.There was no information Sunday on the limousine, its origin or its integrity. But safety issues on such vehicles have arisen before, notably after a wreck on Long Island in July 2015 in which four women were killed.They were in a Lincoln Town Car that had been cut apart and rebuilt in a stretch configuration to accommodate more passengers. The limousine was trying to make a U-turn and was struck by a pickup.A grand jury found that vehicles converted into stretch limousines often don’t have safety measures including side-impact air bags, reinforced rollover protection bars and accessible emergency exits. That grand jury called on Cuomo to assemble a task force on limousine safety.Limousines built in factories are already required to meet stringent safety regulations, but when cars are converted into limos, safety features are sometimes removed, leading to gaps in safety protocols, the grand jury wrote.

SCHOHARIE, N.Y. —

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the limousine involved in a devastating Schoharie, New York, accident that killed two pedestrians and its 18 occupants failed an inspection last month.

Cuomo, talking to reporters at New York's Columbus Day parade, also said the driver did not have the proper license to operate the vehicle.

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The vehicle, he said, failed a state inspection last month and was not supposed to be on the road.

Cuomo identified the limousine company as Prestige Limo. So far, Times Union efforts to reach the owner have not been successful.

The stretch limo, packed with 18 people, drove through a stop sign at an intersection and fatally struck two people in the parking lot of the Apple Barrel Country Store, before slamming into an earthen embankment and killing all of the oversized vehicle's occupants.

Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, told reporters Sunday that the Schoharie crash was the nation's worst transportation accident since the Feb. 12, 2009, crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 in Buffalo, which claimed the lives of 50 people.

"Twenty fatalities is just horrific," Sumwalt said of Saturday's deadly crash. "I've been on the board for 12 years, and this is one of the biggest losses of life that we've seen in a long, long time."

The crash appeared to be the deadliest land-vehicle accident in the U.S. since a bus ferrying nursing home patients away from Hurricane Rita caught fire in Texas in 2005, killing 23.

Autopsies were being performed; authorities didn’t say whether the limo occupants were wearing seat belts or give the speed of the limo.

Relatives said the limousine was carrying four sisters and their friends to a 30th birthday celebration for the youngest.

“They did the responsible thing getting a limo so they wouldn’t have to drive anywhere,” their aunt, Barbara Douglas, said Sunday. She did not want to name them publicly but added: “They were wonderful girls. They’d do anything for you and they were very close to each other and they loved their family.”

Valerie Abeling, the aunt of victim Erin Vertucci, said her 34-year-old niece and her niece’s new husband, 30-year-old Shane McGowan, were victims.

“She was a beautiful, sweet soul; he was, too, they were very sweet,” Abeling said. “They were two very young, beautiful people” who “had everything going for them.”

The Apple Barrel’s Facebook page on Sunday reflected the concern around the accident in the tight-knit community.

“Yes, are open today. And could use your hugs,” it read. “We are doing our best to cope and grieve. We are a big family at the Apple Barrel, and part of the bigger family of Schoharie. We cope by being together. And that is why we are open.”

There were just 12 crashes involving large limos in the five years for which the agency has released statistics, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Twelve people were killed in limo crashes in that span, 2012 through 2016. Over the same period, 171,508 people were killed in 157,451 crashes involving all types of vehicles.

There was no information Sunday on the limousine, its origin or its integrity. But safety issues on such vehicles have arisen before, notably after a wreck on Long Island in July 2015 in which four women were killed.

They were in a Lincoln Town Car that had been cut apart and rebuilt in a stretch configuration to accommodate more passengers. The limousine was trying to make a U-turn and was struck by a pickup.

A grand jury found that vehicles converted into stretch limousines often don’t have safety measures including side-impact air bags, reinforced rollover protection bars and accessible emergency exits. That grand jury called on Cuomo to assemble a task force on limousine safety.

Limousines built in factories are already required to meet stringent safety regulations, but when cars are converted into limos, safety features are sometimes removed, leading to gaps in safety protocols, the grand jury wrote.